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M
“M IT IS A CRAZY PLACE.” Take it from edX CEO and MIT
professor Anant Agarwal, who used precisely those words in
his keynote address this July at Campus Technology 2014 to
explain the institution’s penchant for reinventing itself. “Mess-
ing with things is part of their DNA,” he continued — akin to
an engineer’s devotion to continuous improvement.
“Messing with things” is a rather humble way of describing
what MIT actually does, which is constantly experiment and
innovate in ways that literally change lives. Initiatives like edX
and OpenCourseWare are obvious examples, expanding
access to higher education all over the world.
With a résumé like that, MIT could easily rest on its laurels.
But instead, it has embarked on a massive effort to redefine
its approach to education. An institution-wide task force of
faculty, students and staff recently
released a 213-page report on “how MIT
can continue to transform education for
future generations of learners.”
Job one, according to the report: Set
up an “Initiative for Educational Innova-
tion” to act as a hub for further experi-
mentation. Recommended areas of focus
include infusing greater flexibility into
undergraduate curriculum; expanding the use of project-
based and blended learning models; introducing modularity
into the curriculum as a replacement for traditional classes;
and studying new approaches to assessing students. The
task force also proposed further innovation around MOOCs,
new revenue opportunities for the institution and building new
student learning spaces.
What does it take to pull off such a transformation? Some
might say it requires the prestige, size and resources of an
institution like MIT, but I think it’s something deeper: a willing-
ness to take risks, to try something “crazy,” to learn from
failure and keep going.
The personification of those qualities might just be CT
2014’s closing keynoter David Sengeh. As a biomechatronic
researcher in the MIT Media Lab, Sengeh is designing next-
generation prosthetic sockets that improve comfort and
mobility for amputees. He is also the president and co-founder
of Global Minimum, an international nonprofit organization
that mentors high school students in Sierra Leone, Kenya and
South Africa, fostering a culture of innovation and helping
young people transform their ideas into tangible solutions. He
has worked to distribute mosquito nets in Africa, develop a
better tuberculosis vaccine and produce microbial fuel cells.
LOGIN
Continue the conversation.
E-mail me at rkelly@1105media.com.
CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY | September 2014
2
ADVISORYBOARD
Link Alander
Vice Chancellor and CIO, Lone Star College System (TX)
Jill Albin-Hill
CIO, Dominican University (IL)
Keith Bailey
Director, Office of Online Learning, University of Georgia
Edward Chapel
VP for IT, Montclair State University (NJ)
Maya Georgieva
Associate Director, Center for Innovation in Teaching and
Learning, NYU Stern School of Business
Thomas Hoover
Associate Vice Chancellor and CIO,
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Kim Cliett Long
Director, The Center for Excellence in Distance Learning,
Wiley College (TX)
Alexandra M. Pickett
Associate Director, SUNY Learning Network,
State University of New York
Sue Talley
Dean of Technology, Capella University (online)
And as if that weren’t enough to keep him busy, Sengeh also
owns his own clothing design company and writes rap music.
When asked about the secret behind his dizzying array of
achievements, Sengeh echoed the spirit of risk-taking that
drives institutional change at MIT. “To be honest, I am a silly
person who does not mind making a fool of myself,” he said.
“Because I don’t take myself seriously, it’s easy to try stuff out.
I’m not afraid to fail or lose.”
Rhea Kelly,
Executive Editor
Innovation Requires a Little ‘Crazy’
Behind MIT’s efforts to redefine the future of higher education is a
willingness to experiment and take risks.